Bocas Unidos Foundation

Alma Montenegro de Fletcher - Executive Secretary of the CNTCC

Friday, October 05 2007

Alma Montenegro de Fletcher - The Executive Secretary of the National Council of Transparency Against Corruption

Text and Photo By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Bocas... What to do about Rights of Possession (ROP) property in Bocas del Toro?

Yesterday I made initial contact with a key player in the Panamanian anti-corruption scene. Alma Montenegro de Fletcher is the Executive Secretary of the National Council of Transparency Against Corruption (CNTCC). The CNTCC is a part of the Executive branch of the Panamanian national government. The have a \\\\\"gob.pa\\\\\" website which you can see here. It is the job of the CNTCC to serve as a council and adviser to President Torrijos on issues pertaining to corruption anywhere throughout the country (including Bocas del Toro.) Alma Montenegro de Fletcher has direct access to President Torrijos and administratively falls under the Minister of the Presidency.

From Their Website: According to the website of the CNTCC:

The Vision of the CNTCC is to be a governmental organization, a model of excellence, credibility and transparency in its management, that promotes the highest values and ethical principles in the public administration and the Panamanian society.

The Mission of the CNTCC is to promote an integral culture able to create transparency in public institutions to prevent corruption, and to realize administrative investigations, as a product of complaints and denunciations filed by citizens, with the purpose of responding to the demands of a democratic society, contributing to the fortification of public management and to a better development of the country.

The Functions of the CNTCC are to:

To participate in the elaboration of the analysis and diagnostics of issues discussed in the Council.
To participate in the elaboration of the public policies that the Council proposes to the Executive agency.
To support institutions and their functionaries in their battle against corruption within their respective areas of competency.
To control the Execution of public policies in matters of transparency, rendering of accounts, and fights against corruption.
To inform to the Council with regards to Panama's fulfillment of international anti-corruption conventions signed by Panama, as well as Law 6 of 22 January 2002 and the Uniform Code of Ethics for Public Employees.
To realize and conduct directed audits to measure the results of public anti-corruption policies.
To administratively represent the Executive Secretariat of the Council and to serve as a spokesperson for the same.
To recommend the appointment of personal subordinate of the Secretariat.
To manage, as authorized by the Council, international agreements with other agencies and organizations, both national and international, both public and private, which have as an objective the subjects of transparency and the fight against the corruption.
To inform corresponding institutions of complaints or denunciations on acts of corruption and failures regarding the Uniform Code of Ethics which arrive at the Council through internal departmental audits, public organizations, or citizen denunciations.
To keep the Council informed on its activities and to render reports to the Council as required.
Other tasks as assigned by the Council.

What Does All That Mean, Exactly? One more time, in plain English. Hard to tell. They have a very small staff and are probably relatively limited in their ability to effect widespread change. But at the same time they probably have a great deal of influence on specific cases and complaints by citizens, which makes them a perfect fit for Bocas del Toro. In the case of Wild Cane Key in Bocas del Toro, Dario Vanhorne has presented a complaint to the council which they are hearing. I have a meeting with Alma Montenegro de Fletcher for Thursday next week to discuss my Bocas del Toro investigations. The process of making initial contact continues. Sooner or later I'll have a complete wiring diagram, and then I can throw the switch to see what goes \\\\\"poof\\\\\"...